Databricks releases, every cloud
- Metastore-level ABAC policies are in Beta
Applies across every catalog in the metastore. Replaces per-catalog policy setup.
- Data Classification now scans Unity Catalog views (Beta)
Scans Unity Catalog views in addition to tables, using the same detection engine, and is currently in Beta.
- The READ METADATA privilege will soon be available by default for workspaces with the compliance security profile enabled Coming soon
Grants read-only visibility into object metadata, including security-sensitive information.
- External secrets in Unity Catalog (Beta)
Connects Unity Catalog schema to AWS Secrets Manager, appearing as read-only objects.
- Genie Code adds conversation controls
Lets you fork conversations, use /btw for side questions, and edit earlier messages.
- ABAC DENY policies are in Beta
Explicitly deny MANAGE ACCESS CONTROL privilege, taking precedence over grants.
- Run the change, do not just read it. Hands-on labs in your own Databricks workspace, graded when you submit. Browse labs
- Automatic change data feed is now generally available
Requires Databricks Runtime 19 or above with row tracking enabled. Makes MERGE and UPDATE operations about 15% faster.
- Databricks Runtime 19: September 1, 2026
Replaces manual change data feed enablement, requires row tracking enabled.
- Databricks Runtime maintenance updates (09/01)
Includes bug fixes, security patches, and performance improvements for versions 13.3 to 18.2.
- Genie Code scheduled tasks are now generally available
Runs prompts on a recurring schedule, producing a continuable Genie chat with results.
- Genie Code scheduled tasks will soon be available by default for workspaces with the compliance security profile enabled Coming soon
Replaces manual runs of recurring analysis tasks. Available in October 2026.
- ABAC GRANT policies are generally available for models and services
Replaces individual privilege grants with governed tag matching.
- Unity Catalog Skills (Beta)
Publishes and governs agent skills, controlling access with Unity Catalog permissions.
- Genie Code for AI Runtime (Public Preview)
Generates distributed training code and resolves environment issues. Requires AI Runtime.
- Genie Code is now available as a Lakeflow Jobs task (Beta)
Runs prompts autonomously, reading upstream outputs and calling tools as needed, returning a conversation link.
- Secrets in Unity Catalog will soon be available by default for workspaces with the compliance security profile enabled Coming soon
Replaces manual enablement, uses catalog.schema.secret namespace.
- The INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE privileges are in Beta
Require Databricks Runtime 18.1 or above, alternative to MODIFY privilege.
- Context attributes in ABAC column mask and row filter policies (Beta)
Targets request context, such as OAuth client ID and on-behalf-of status, in Unity Catalog policies.
- Get this table by email. One Monday mail covering the week, filtered to the clouds and products you run. Weekly digest
- Choose an effort level in Genie Code
Sets balance between response quality and cost, defaults to Auto for highest quality.
- Role-based access control (RBAC) is generally available
Requires account and workspace admin setup. Enables exclusive access to sensitive data.
- Role-based access control (RBAC) will soon be available by default for workspaces with the compliance security profile enabled Coming soon
Lets users assume a role with exclusive permissions, replacing accumulated permissions.
- Identity attributes in ABAC column mask policies (Beta)
Targets users by attributes like department or country, using has_identity_attribute_value and has_identity_attribute_tag_match functions.
- Upcoming deprecation of the data quality monitoring downstream_impact column Coming soon
Deprecation starts September 7, 2026, and the column will no longer be populated after rollout.
- Upcoming deprecation of the data quality monitoring root_cause_analysis column Coming soon
Deprecation starts August 18, 2026, and the column will no longer be populated after rollout.
- Genie Code supports file uploads
Uploads are used as chat context, see Attach files for details.
- Tags page in Governance Hub (Beta)
Provides a centralized view of tag usage, summarizes governed tags, and offers recommendations for invalid values. Requires account admins to enable from Previews page.
- Define business concepts with Pages (Beta)
Gives business terms a single governed definition, part of Unity Catalog semantics.
- Unity Catalog ABAC GRANT policies support more securable types in Beta
Now supports model services, model provider services, MCP services, and agent services, in addition to models.
- READ METADATA privilege is GA
Provides read-only visibility into security-sensitive metadata, including privilege grants and ABAC policies.
- Tag automations (Beta)
Assigns or removes governed tags on Unity Catalog tables or volumes based on defined conditions.
- Genie Code web search is in Beta
Searches the public web for current info, disabled by default.
- Databricks Runtime maintenance updates (08/04)
Includes bug fixes, security patches, and performance improvements for versions 13.3 to 18.2.
- Full page Genie Code is now generally available
Runs multiple chats in parallel, with notebooks and files as tabs.
- Schema-level HTTP connections in Unity Catalog are now generally available
Creates connections inside a schema, inheriting its privileges, instead of only at metastore level.
- MANAGE no longer requires USE CATALOG or USE SCHEMA on the same object
No longer requires USE CATALOG or USE SCHEMA on the same object, but still needs them on parent containers.
- Refresh materialized views and streaming tables without exempting the pipeline owner from ABAC policies
Pipeline owners are now subject to ABAC policies when refreshing views and tables. Policies are evaluated using the pipeline owner's identity.
- Secrets in Unity Catalog is GA
Stores secrets as securable objects with Unity Catalog privileges. Uses catalog.schema.secret namespace.
- Upcoming general availability of Unity Gateway Coming soon
Extends Unity Catalog governance to runtime interactions, controls AI service usage, and monitors traffic. Available by default for workspaces with compliance security profile in mid-September.
AWS, read it on their docsAzure, read it on their docsGCP, read it on their docsSAP(not on this cloud) - Python UDTFs in Unity Catalog are now generally available
Runs on serverless compute, classic compute, and SQL warehouses. Requires Databricks Runtime 18.
- Databricks Runtime maintenance updates (07/24)
Includes bug fixes, security patches, and performance improvements for versions 13.3 to 18.2.
AWS, read it on their docsAzure, read it on their docsGCP, read it on their docsSAP(not on this cloud)
Headlines, dates and product areas are Databricks' own, from the release notes published for each cloud, and every item links to the note it came from. The one-line summaries are ours. Not a Databricks product and not affiliated with Databricks, Inc.